In vehicles such as vans, mini-vans and sport utility vehicles, it is desirable that passenger seating arrangements be optionally stowable on-board the vehicle, in a manner that provides a large, unimpeded volume for carrying cargo. It is also desirable that the stowable passenger seating arrangements have cushions that support passengers at a height above the floor that is approximately at the same level as the driver and any front seat passengers, so that the passengers seated on the stowable seats can enjoy the view through vehicle windows and enter and exit the stowable seats, when the stowable seats are deployed, without having to step up out of a seating well in the floor. It is especially desirable that the floor of the cargo area be flat when the seating is stowed, to facilitate loading and carrying large sized cargo, such as sheets of plywood, large cartons, or bulky items such as bicycles or other recreation equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,107 B1, to Kanaguchi, et al., discloses a forward facing bench-type seat mounted as the rearmost-row seat on a raised portion of a floor surface extending rearwardly from the rearmost-row seat, toward the rear of a vehicle. A seat receiving recess is formed in and extends downwardly from the raised floor surface extending rearwardly from the rearmost-row seat. The rearmost row seat can be folded in such a manner that a seat back thereof is brought down forwardly to be laid on a seat cushion thereof, and the folded seat can be turned rearwardly about rotation shafts to be received in the seat-receiving recess. The raised floor surface, in which the seat receiving recess is formed, is disposed at a level higher than a foot-resting floor seat for the rearmost-row seat. The rotation shafts on the seat cushion of the rearmost-row seat are disposed at a level that is lower than the floor surface, in which the seat-receiving recess is formed and also is lower than an upper side of the receiving recess.
The approach to providing stowable seating disclosed in Kanaguchi is less than desirable, because the seat must be mounted on a raised floor surface. The raised floor surface consumes space inside the vehicle that could be used for carrying cargo, and results in a floor surface that is stepped up at the rear, rather than being totally flat.
What is needed, is a new approach to providing passenger seating that can optionally be stowed on-board the vehicle in a manner providing the desired features and functionality described above.